Birmingham vs East Riding of Yorkshire: buying or renting a home
A typical terraced house costs £57,000 (35%) more in Birmingham than in East Riding of Yorkshire. Measured against local pay, buying is harder in Birmingham: it takes 6.1× median annual pay, against 4.3× in East Riding of Yorkshire.
At a glance
| Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire | |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a home | Fairly affordable | Fairly affordable |
| Renting a home | Expensive | Affordable |
| Recorded crime | Above average | Low |
Buying rates the typical price of all homes against median pay; renting rates a year of average rent against median pay; crime rates recorded crime per resident against the England and Wales average.
What the numbers say
Median full-time pay in East Riding of Yorkshire (£37,595) is 4% higher than in Birmingham (£35,989), while a typical terraced house costs 26% less (£163,000 against £220,000). Set against local pay, East Riding of Yorkshire is the easier of the two for a typical earner to buy in.
Buying a terraced house takes 6.1× annual pay in Birmingham and 4.3× in East Riding of Yorkshire. Renting one takes 37% of pay in Birmingham and 22% in East Riding of Yorkshire. Both are harder in Birmingham, and the gap is wider for renting.
Across all property types and measured against pay, Birmingham is the 108th least expensive of 316 areas to buy in, and East Riding of Yorkshire is the 60th least expensive of 316 areas. For renting against pay, Birmingham is the 112th most expensive of 316 areas and East Riding of Yorkshire is the 17th least expensive of 316 areas.
Someone on £40,000 in Birmingham would need about £29,500 in East Riding of Yorkshire to be equally placed to buy a terraced house, and about £25,500 to be equally placed to rent one. Keeping the same pay after a move to East Riding of Yorkshire would leave you better placed to buy. These figures compare housing costs only; they ignore other living costs and the pay you could earn in a new job.
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 51.4 in East Riding of Yorkshire, so recorded crime per resident is 55% lower in East Riding of Yorkshire. The biggest difference is in vehicle offences: 10.2 per 1,000 in Birmingham against 1.9 in East Riding of Yorkshire.
Can a typical earner buy?
| Terraced house | Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time pay | £35,989 | £37,595 |
| House price ÷ pay | 6.1× | 4.3× |
| Median pay as a share of income typically needed to buy | 82% | 115% |
| Rent a year as a share of median pay | 37% | 22% |
Buying, by property type
| Type | Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £452,500 | £332,500 | -27% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Semi-detached | £265,000 | £205,000 | -23% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Terraced | £220,000 | £163,000 | -26% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Flat | £145,000 | £100,000 | -31% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
Renting, by property type
| Type (average rent a month) | Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detached | £1,434 | £1,029 | -28% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Semi-detached | £1,151 | £773 | -33% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Terraced | £1,095 | £701 | -36% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Flat | £919 | £573 | -38% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
Crime
Police recorded 114.2 crimes per 1,000 residents in Birmingham and 51.4 in East Riding of Yorkshire, so recorded crime per resident is 55% lower in East Riding of Yorkshire.
| Police recorded crime per 1,000 residents | Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All recorded crime (excluding fraud) | 114.2 | 51.4 | -55% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Violence against the person | 46.1 | 23.0 | -50% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Sexual offences | 4.8 | 2.1 | -56% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Robbery | 3.1 | 0.2 | -92% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Residential burglary (per 1,000 households) | 11.7 | 4.0 | -66% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Vehicle offences | 10.2 | 1.9 | -81% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Theft from the person | 1.3 | 0.1 | -90% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Criminal damage and arson | 9.1 | 4.8 | -47% in East Riding of Yorkshire |
Rates use resident population, so city centres and student areas show higher crime per resident than residents experience. Recorded crime also depends on reporting and police recording practice.
How prices have changed in each area
Average house price for all property types, indexed so that 2005 is 100. A line at 200 means prices have doubled.
Show the figures
| Year | Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 100 | 100 |
| 2006 | 104 | 107 |
| 2007 | 109 | 113 |
| 2008 | 105 | 112 |
| 2009 | 95 | 100 |
| 2010 | 100 | 104 |
| 2011 | 97 | 102 |
| 2012 | 98 | 101 |
| 2013 | 100 | 102 |
| 2014 | 106 | 105 |
| 2015 | 111 | 110 |
| 2016 | 120 | 115 |
| 2017 | 129 | 121 |
| 2018 | 136 | 124 |
| 2019 | 140 | 127 |
| 2020 | 142 | 130 |
| 2021 | 157 | 142 |
| 2022 | 172 | 153 |
| 2023 | 174 | 156 |
| 2024 | 174 | 155 |
| 2025 | 178 | 160 |
| 12 months to July 2026 | 179 | 162 |
In 2005 the average home cost £130,237 in Birmingham and £134,763 in East Riding of Yorkshire. Now it is £232,548 and £218,265: Birmingham is up 79% and East Riding of Yorkshire is up 62%. Prices have risen faster in Birmingham, so the gap between the two has narrowed.
Buying a home against local pay, over time
Average house price divided by median full-time pay. Higher means harder to afford.
Show the figures
| Year | Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6.1 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2010 | 5.5 years of pay | 5.1 years of pay |
| 2015 | 5.8 years of pay | 5.6 years of pay |
| 2020 | 6.3 years of pay | 5.5 years of pay |
| 2025 | 6.5 years of pay | 5.8 years of pay |
In 2005 a home cost 6.1 years of pay in Birmingham and 5.6 years in East Riding of Yorkshire. In 2025 it was 6.5 years and 5.8 years.
How rents have changed in each area
Average monthly rent for all property types, indexed so that 2015 is 100.
Show the figures
| Year | Birmingham | East Riding of Yorkshire |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100 | 100 |
| 2016 | 105 | 102 |
| 2017 | 108 | 105 |
| 2018 | 111 | 105 |
| 2019 | 113 | 107 |
| 2020 | 116 | 109 |
| 2021 | 118 | 113 |
| 2022 | 122 | 116 |
| 2023 | 132 | 121 |
| 2024 | 147 | 129 |
| 2025 | 156 | 136 |
| August 2026 | 161 | 143 |
In 2015 the average rent was £682 a month in Birmingham and £505 in East Riding of Yorkshire. Now it is £1,099 and £724: up 61% in Birmingham and up 43% in East Riding of Yorkshire. Rents have risen faster in Birmingham.
What your salary is worth in each area
Salary needed to afford the same kind of home (terraced), going by median prices and average rents.
Moving from Birmingham to East Riding of Yorkshire
| Earning in Birmingham | Equivalent to buy in East Riding of Yorkshire | Equivalent to rent in East Riding of Yorkshire |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £22,000 | £19,000 |
| £40,000 | £29,500 | £25,500 |
| £50,000 | £37,000 | £32,000 |
| £60,000 | £44,500 | £38,500 |
Moving from East Riding of Yorkshire to Birmingham
| Earning in East Riding of Yorkshire | Equivalent to buy in Birmingham | Equivalent to rent in Birmingham |
|---|---|---|
| £30,000 | £40,500 | £47,000 |
| £40,000 | £54,000 | £62,500 |
| £50,000 | £67,500 | £78,000 |
| £60,000 | £81,000 | £93,500 |
All Birmingham figures · All East Riding of Yorkshire figures